Two species of Hoolock gibbons, Eastern Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock leuconedys) and Western Hoolock gibbon (Hoolock hoolock) have been reported to occur in India. They are found in Assam and the low-end forests of eastern Brahmaputra. They are also found in Nagaland.

Where in India

Like all apes, the Hoolock Gibbons are distinctive in the great development of the arms, which are much longer than the legs. They also do not possess any tail. 

Arm’s Length

A new born gibbon is covered with yellow tinted greyish white hair, but adults are black. Female adults coat colour fades to a yellowish grey.

Coat Colour

Gibbons are known most for their shrill calls. With the first rays of the sun, the family consisting of a group of 6-7 members starts jumping from tree to tree. 

Call of the Wild

It is said that gibbons rarely put their feet on the ground, spending most of their day on the top most branches of the trees, swinging effortlessly through the forest using its long arms. The mode of locomotion is known as brachiation. 

Forest Acrobats

The primary food of these apes are fruits, seeds, flowers and sometimes insects. They pick the fruits with the help of their feet. 

Fruit Lovers

Today much of the gibbon population had been decimated and only few surviving groups are restricted to the mountainous primary forest regions straddling the boundaries.

Losing Habitat